Felling machine for seaming fabric sections



FELLING MACHINE FR SEAMING FABRIC SECTIONS FiledA sept. 19, 1952 4 sheets-sheet l Jan. 15, 1935. sI THOMPSON 1,988,399

FELLING MACHINE FOR SEAMING FABRIC SECTIONS vFiled Sept. 19, 1932 4 SheetsfSheet 2 mg i I i Sb u enlllllll J9 "urna 12 j y( I K Jan. l5, 1935. c. s. THoMPsoN 1,988,399

FELLING'MACHINE FOR SEAMING FABRIC SECTIONS.

Filed Sept. 19, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet y 3 Fm@ n 9W ,v L.' 49 J0 g, 45 4&2 .A J6@ 2 l 1.5 Z9 97 g gg' l y f n l ff vez ,L Q6 l gllllllLlllllmllnnmuummmm/ Wumim JUL l5, 1.935. c. s. 'rHoMPsoNy 1,988,399

I J6 J7 FELLING MACHINE FOR SEAMING FABRIC SECTIONS Filed Sept. "19, 1932 4 Sheets-heet 4 Friteni Jeri. i5, i935 UNITED STATE-s FELLING MAC EUR SEAMENG FMC ECTIO Application September 19, 1932, Serial No. 633,898

10 Claims.

The invention relstes to new and useful improvements in sewing machines, and more particularly to a felling machine for joining the edges of fabric sections.

`in object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type with a feeding means and cooperating presser member which are so constructed as to grip the fabric sections at each side 'of the felled seam for the feeding of the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type wherein the presser member has a channel in its underface substantially the same width as the felled seam and of a depth slightly greater than the thickness of the interfolded fabric sections so that the folded parts are relieved from excessive pressure and the fabric sections are fed to and from the stitching mechanism through the independent gripping of said fabric sections alongside of and adjacent the felled seam.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type, wherein the presser member includes two fabric engaging sec- -tions arranged in tandem and wherein each fabric engaging section is provided with a channel dimensioned so as to permit the free feed of the interfolded fabric sections through said channels. These and other objects will in partbe obvious -and will in part be hereinafter more' fully dis closed.

In the vdrawings which show by wey of illustration one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. i is e. view showing s portion of s sewing machine with the improvements applied there to, the feeding' menne and i presser foot means kn ...ot and 'the parte c... et-,

Fig. i sectional View on the line Fis. i,

5 is e bottom pian View of the presser foot.

Fig. 6 is e. vertical sectional view through the presser foot and the feed dog.

Fis'. 7 is a plan view of the feed dos. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the throat plate.. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing two fabric sections joined by a felled seam and with a cross felled seam therein.

The invention is directed to a machine for joining the edges of fabric sections by a felled seam. It includes e. folder for overfoiding the three needles and d loopen' which cooperates withk each needle for forming independent lines of stitching. The material is fed across the work support by feeding which includes a feed dog having feeding sections disposed so as to engage the fabric sections at each side of the felled' seam and closely adjacent thereto. Cooperating with the feed dog is a presser foot which as shown is provided with two fabric engaging sections arranged in tandem. These fabric engaging sections are pivotally mounted so that they may tilt independently and also so that one section may be raised or lowered without disturbing the other section. l

Each presser foot section is provided with a channel in its nnderface which is ot a slightly greater width t i the felled seam and which is' of slightly greater depth than theinierfoldecl` sections of fabric forming the felled seam.

it is thought the inventlonwill be better under;y stood by a detailed description of the illustrated The sewing machine in.-

embodiment thereof. chicles a supporting bese i, carrying a stendard 2, having an overhanging portion .is si housing 3. Lccsted in this housing is the mein estu rsting she-:Yi: driven by e. beit wheel indient/ed et homing csrries e needle hec-si d in r reciproceites. "ise n 7, sind Si.

A housing werf* mscifirinirm. @There .h needle. The isop e ik i. lcoper s which. is rap-.-.etsii in t ie fiminine shown is of t3/pc illustraties?. in the pctent granted. N., i7. @inici-re. een and l'ri. lievemente, December 2t.. iil, No. i,i4i,ii95, end further description thereof is not thought necesserv.

The mnteriai is ied o the work srppo'rting crm by a feed deg i3, which is given four motions by suitable mechanism in the work ann l0. The machine is particularly adapted for joining the edge portions of tubular garments and the fabric sections to form the tube are placed around the arm and led into a folder 14. 'I'his folder is of the usual type for forming a felled seam. It overturns the lower fabric section and underturns the upper fabric section and interfolds these portions so' that when the fabric sections pass from the. folder.they will be interfolded and ready foxl stitching. The fabric sections are led directly beneath the lpresser foot and to the stitching mechanism. The fabric sections are fed along the work support by the feed dog 13. Thisfeeddogis showninplaninFigNl. It includes the toothed section and a toothed section 16. The feed dog also includes toothed sections 17 which engage the interfolded portions of the fabric sections directly in front of the needles.

and 9 respectively.

m nc. o d cnc dn'wmss, two mmc sccucns -areshownjoinsdbyafelledseamsuchasismade the. pa

dicltednt iii;

the rear presser foot section is indicated at 24.

Theleveriseonnectedtotwospaeedyoke Sie.

lever liesbetweentheyokearmsandisconnected theretobypivot pins'28. 28. which areinalignleverturnsabouttheeenter Thelevercarriestwospaced varms 29, 29.v which project forward from the 28. The presser foot section lugs 30. 30. which are pivoted to the arms 29, 29, by pivot pins 31, 31. These alignment and the section 23 of thspl'eler foot isadaptedtotiltaboutthecenter pins 21 as an axis.

25hasashankportion32in rear of centers landtherearsec'tion 24ofthe .pressa-footispivotallyconnectedtothisshank.

the shank extends bevot rod 34, extending the lugs and the shank connects the ootsection 24totheshanksothat itis The presser footssec-V 35. A spring 36 bears presser foot has two upstanding lugs 33, 33,

'bythefeeddog. Thewall on said upturned toe and is secured to the shank 32 by clamping screw 37. When the presser foot is unrestrained it will be turned in a clockwise direction by this spring 35 and the extent of movement of the foot section is limited by the rear portion contacting with the shank 32.

The lever 25 carries a rectangular boss 37 at the re'ar end thereof, which is located between guide bars 38 and 39, carried by the needle head. 'This permits the lever 25 to freely move up and down or to swing on its pivotal support but guides the same so as to prevent any lateral movement of the lever and the foot sections carried thereby. y

A spring 40 is attached to the lever 25 at 41 and to the sleeve 26 at 42. 'Ihis spring tends to turn the lever 25 in a clockwise direction and the extent of movement is limited by the shank 32 contacting withthe yoke arms 25a.

The section 23 of the presser foot is provided kwith openings 43, 43, one for each needle, said section also has an upturned toe portion 44. f On the underface of the presser foot section 23, is a channel which is of substantially the same width as the .felled seam or the interfolded portions of thc fsbrxc sections. vn; .is ct s d'cptnsushtiy greater than the thickness of the interfolded fabric sections. This channel in the presser foot provides guide walls 45, 45.which direct the felled seam. Theportionofthepresserfootisdirectlyabovethefeedingsectionlofthefeed dog and the portion of the throat platesurroundingthesame. Theportion47ofthepresserfoot is directly above the section l5 of the feeddog and the parts of the throat plate surrounding the same. The section 46 bears on the fabric section I" adjacent the interfolded parts forming same downward onto ,the throat feed section. The wall of the tberightasviewedinl'ig.3a,is ly greater distance from the nel andtheneedle slots morder sectionsmay be foldeddown so 45 of attheothersideofthe channel to the needle slot at the stitching I tacts with the fold in the fabric sectionV centers the interfolded parts and directsthe tothestitchingmechanismsothattheneedles will penetrate the interfolded parts in Proper relation to the folds in the fabric sections.

'Ihechannelextendsupthetoeandtheaide thereofisextendedtoaidintheguidingof fabric sections beneath'the foot. This part of thepresser foot contacts with the fold in the fabric section l". The section 24 of the presser foot is also provided with a channel in its underface. Thischannelisofslightlygreaterwidththanthe 'ness c: inc fsbric section which 1s bent down presser foot is indicated at 50. The side walls of theA channel are inclined so as to give greater frees 7 dom of movement for the cross seam. Alongsidey of the channel is a section 46a, corresponding to the section 46 and operating in similar -manner thereto in conjunction with the feeding means. There is likewise a section 47a at the other side of this channel 50, which operates in a manner similar to the section 47 on the front presser foot.

The lchannel in the forward section of the presser foot is of sulcient depth so that there is very little pressure on the interfolded sections of the fabric. Inasmuch as the fabric sections are not compacted, the needles will more readily penetrate the same and the felled seam will pass more freely through the channel. The side portions ofthe presser foot operate independently on the fabric sections firmly clamping the same against the throat plate or the feed dog. Thus it is that the fabric sections are fedthrough the r folder and beneath the presser foot to the stitching mechanism.

When a cross seam passes beneath the presser foot section 28, it will tilt and the rear end of the foot will engage the fabric in rear of the foot to tilt as it passes underneath the f lame. The front section may rise independently of the rear section so that when the front section israisedbythecrossseamtherearsectionsa and 47a are firmly holding the fabric sections in contact with the feed dog. When the 'rearsectionofthepresser footisraisedbythe cross seam, the forward section of the presser .presser foot with a channel so dimensioned as to relieve the interfolded sections of the fabric from excessive pressure, the stitches can be set deeper into the material. The roof of the channel, however, is sumciently close to the fabric sections as to .resist the upward movement of the needlesand insure the proper formation of the needle loops and thus prevent the skipping of stitches. By

this construction of presser foot, wherein there is a freedom of movement of the interfolded fabric sections, the strain and wear on the moving parts of the machine is greatly reduced.

While there is shown a presser foot formedfin two sections arranged in tandem, it will be understood that from certain aspects of the invention a single presser foot may be used, dimensioned so as to give freedom of movement to the interfolded portions of the fabric sections and so as to nrmlv clamp the fabric sections against the feed dog or the throat plate, so that they are under perfect control during the feed cycle. f

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts f may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sewing machine the combination of a work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for unitingthe interfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member having a channel extending longitudinally therethrough of a depth slightly greater than the thickness of the interfolded fabric sections guided thereby, whereby said. interfolded sections are free from restraining members contacting therewith, said feeding means and cooperating presser member being constructed so that the fabric sections are gripped alongside of and adjacent the interfolded parts for the feeding of the same.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the interfolded fabric sections, feeding means, a presser member cooperating with said feeding means in theregion of the stitching devices, said presser member having a channel extending longitudinally therethrough and of a depth slightly greater than the thickness of the interfolded fabric sections guided thereby, said' feeding means and cooperating presser member being constructed so that the fabric sections are gripped along side of and adjacent the interfolded parts for the feeding of the same, and a presser member locatedl in rear of the first-named presser member and cooperating with said feedim mechanism to aid in the feeding of the fabric sections.

` mally clamping the fabric sections only alongside and adjacent the interfolded portions of .the fabric sections for the feeding` of the same. 4. In a sewing machine the combination of work support, means for interfoldingmfabric sections to form a felled seam', stitching devices for uniting the interfolded fabric' sections, feedingmeans and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem and co- -operating with the feeding means, each presser foot section having a channel in its underface dimensioned so as to guide the interfolded portions of the fabric sections and permit free movement of the same throughthe channel.

work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices lfor uniting the interfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating withl said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in. tandem and means for supporting said presser foot sections whereby each section may tilt independently about an axis at right angles to the feed and whereby the presser foot sections may have independent vertical movements, each of said presser foot sections having a channel in the underface thereof extending from the front of the presser member to the rear thereof, which channels are dimensioned so as to permit the free movement of the interfolded portions of the fabric sections.

6. Ina sewing machine the combination of a 5. In a sewing machine the combination of a Y work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the interfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem and cooperating with the feeding means, each presser foot section having a channel in its underface dimensioned so as to guide the interfolded portions of the fabric sections and permit free movement of the same through the channel, each presser foot section having a fabric engaging portion at each side of the channel therein adapted to cooperate with a feeding means for clamping the fabric sections and feeding the same.

7. In a sewing machine the combination of a work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the lnterfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating `with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem and means for supporting said presser foot sections whereby each section may tilt independently about an axis at right angles to the feed and whereby the vpresser foot sections may have independent vertical movements, each of said presser foot sections having a channel in the underface thereof extending from the front of the presser memberto the rear thereof, which channels are dimensioned so as to permit the free movement of the interfolded portions of the fabric sections, each presser foot section having a fabric engaging portion at each side of the channel therein adapted to cooperate with a feeding means for clamping the fabric sections and feeding the same.

8. In a sewing machine the combination of a work support, means for intel-folding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the interi'olded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem, means for supporting said presser foot sections so that each section may tilt independently of the other about'an axis at right angles to the line of feed, yielding means cooperating with the rear presser foot section for depressing the forward end thereof, said means for supportingsaid presser foot sections being pivotally and yieldingly supported intermediate said sections and yielding means associated with said supporting tions to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the interfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem, means for supporting said presser foot sections so that each section may tilt independently of the other about an axis at right angles to the line of feed, yielding means cooperating with the rear presser foot section for depressing the forward end thereof, said means for supporting said presser foot sections being pivotally and yieldingly supported intermediate said sections and yielding means associated with said supporting means for yieldingly moving said front section into contact with the material, each presser foot section having a channel in its underface of slightly greater width than the felled seam and of greater depth than the thicknesses of the fabric sections forming the same.

10. In a sewing machine the combination of' a work support, means for interfolding fabric sections to form a felled seam, stitching devices for uniting the interfolded fabric sections, feeding means and a presser member cooperating with said feeding means, said presser member including presser foot sections arranged in tandem, means for supporting said presser foot sections so that each section may tilt independently of the other about an axis at right angles to the line of feed, yielding means cooperating with the rear presser foot section for depressing the forward end thereof, said means for supporting said presser foot sections being pivotally and yieldingly supported intermediate s'aid sections and yielding means associated with said supporting means for yieldingly moving said front section into contact with the material, each presser foot section having a channel in its underface of slightly greater width than the felled seam and of greater depth than the thicknesses of the fabric sections forming the same, each presser foot section having fabric engaging portions at the sides of the channels therein cooperating with the feeding means for clamping the fabric sections for feeding the same.

1 CHARLES S. THOMPSON. 

